Volume 6, Issue 4
TIS and THAT
October 6, 2017
Time Travel in West Virginia There is now a way to travel back in history at Harpers Ferry National Park. The Rangers at the park have developed an app that visitors can use to explore the history of the town and its part in the civil war. Twenty-five Berkeley County teachers went on a Time Trekker in August as part of the county’s technology professional development Geek Week.
In this issue…. Time Travel in WV ………………………. 1 Marshall vs. WVU ………………………. 2 Trending Now ………………………. 3 Kid Friendly Apps ………………………. 3 Recipe …………………….… 3 Educational Grants ………………….…… 4 Collaboration ………………………. 5 Contributors ………………...…… 5
Time Trekker is a unique app designed just for use at Harpers Ferry NP. The game is designed with students’ grade 3-12 in mind. Students download the app and use a smart phone to follow clues and collect artifacts while following a map through the park. Each game purchase is just .99 cents. The bookstore at the park has free guide books that each player will need to participate. Teams of four to five players each assume different roles in history while participating in a Trek. At the starting point the phone will vibrate and a time portal will appear on the screen. As you move around in 360 degrees there are “people” who will give information about the area and clues to the next location. There are also questions which allow for the team to earn or lose points depending on their answers. My team selected to play Judging John Brown. Once a game is started you have twenty-four hours to complete it. The average time given to complete a Trek was two hours after our group attempt we felt like it would require more time. This Trek includes 3.5 miles of walking, some up a steep hill. As we worked through our game there was a learning curve but overall it was a lot of fun. The teachers in my group felt that third grade students might be too young, but with the right chaperone it could be done. The three other Treks available are Freedom’s Fight, taking students back to 1840 to Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. There are two versions of this game, the second is a mobility impaired version. The final Trek is War Wounds, which takes the players to 1861 during an actual battle at Harpers Ferry. If you’re looking for a way to bring history alive to your students this would be a great place to start.